2,500-year-old Phoenician shipwreck being rescued by Spanish archaeologists

A 2,500-year-old Phoenician shipwreck has been found underwater in the Murcia region of southeastern Spain.

An extraordinary Phoenician shipwreck dating back 2,500 years has become the focal point of an ambitious rescue mission after lying submerged in sediment for more than two millennia. Spanish archaeologists are working hard to recover the ancient remains of the wreck from the sea before a storm destroys it forever.

This remarkable archaeological discovery, named Mazarrón II after the region where it was found, is considered a unique piece of ancient maritime engineering.

A team of nine Spanish archaeological experts from the University of Valencia have meticulously drawn a detailed diagram of the ship in order to implement a comprehensive plan to save this ancient relic in the future.

The team from the University of Valencia, equipped with diving equipment, has spent more than 560 hours documenting every crack and fissure in the eight-metre-long Mazarrón II.

These experts have set a deadline to complete their expedition after countless hours of diving in the depths of the sea. Their goal is to recover the wreck next summer before storms destroy it even more.

Their extensive underwater surveys, which took place over two weeks in June, provided critical information on the condition of the wreck. This meticulous documentation will be instrumental in developing a recovery and preservation strategy.

Divers from the University of Valencia map and assess the condition of a 2,500-year-old Phoenician vessel submerged 60 meters off the beach in Mazarrón, Spain, on June 20, 2023. Photo: José A Moya/Gobierno Regional de Murcia

The wreck is “nothing short of exquisite,” Deborah Carlson, a professor of nautical archaeology at Texas A&M University, told McClatchy News.

“On the one hand, it occupies a very important place in history, both chronologically and geographically, because it exhibits construction techniques associated with the Levant, where the Phoenicians originated.”

In addition to its historical significance, the wreck, called Mazarrón II, is also “in excellent condition,” Carlson said.

However, the remarkably preserved ship could soon face destruction if left exposed to powerful underwater currents, Carlos De Juan, an archaeologist at the University of Valencia, told McClatchy News.

“It’s in a complicated area where the currents are affecting the seabed, taking away the sand, so we had to make a decision,” he said.

The decision: to transport the entire 25-foot-long vessel to the surface. The ambitious project will likely take more than a year and require significant preparation, De Juan said.

Estimated to have been built around 580 BC, Mazarrón II offers a unique opportunity to gain further insight into Phoenician trading practices.

Cover photo: UV Nautical Archaeology